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Tropical Homemade Passionfruit Curd

There is something intensely satisfying about fruit curds and butters. They are intense in flavor, smooth, creamy and just simply luscious. Looking ahead to the summer produce I really am dreaming up all sorts of incredible fruity curds and butters I can make in my kitchen.

Fruit curds and butters are different to the usual jams, jellies and preserves, in that they are made with eggs and butter. Usually fruit curds are made with citrus fruit, typically lemon, but also oranges and limes.

Basically egg yolks are beaten together with sugar, fruit or fruit juice and zest over a water bath until thick and creamy. That’s pretty much it. The result is an awesome topping that can be used in a variety of ways. From spreads on scones, muffins or toast to filling pies, cakes or even topping ice-creams.

For me fruit curds are life’s simple but flavorful pleasures. Always homemade and always with a burst of all natural fruit flavors.

I adore passionfruit. The aromatic flesh and concentrated flavored pulp is pure pleasure and one can often find me behind the refrigerator door spooning the fruit pulp straight from the shells.

Passionfruit

Passionfruit, also known as purple granadilla are egg-shaped tropical fruit native to South America and typically grown in Hawaii, Florida and California.

Passionfruit have a brittle, wrinkled purple-brown rind enclosing flesh-covered seeds, very similar to a pomegranate. As a matter of fact granadilla means "little pomegranate" in Spanish. The seeds are edible and the orange pulp can be enjoyed straight from the shell. More commonly passionfruit is sieved and its highly aromatic pulp and juice are used to flavor beverages and sauces. The pulp has an intense aromatic and very vivid flavor, while the texture is jelly-like and watery.

Health Benefits

Passionfruit is known for its various health benefits due to its excellent source of vitamins A and C. The presence of Vitamin A helps in the removal of free radicals from the body, which helps preventing various types of cancers and well as skin disorders. Vitamin C helps in repairing tissues and preventing heart diseases.

One passionfruit has only 16 calories and are a wonderful source of anti-oxidants. The seeds are edible and rich in fiber, which helps to improve the digestive system along with preventing colon cancer.

Passionfruit are powerful fruit and eaten regularly helps in the overall enhancement of your health.

Varieties

There are a number of different types of passionfruit varieties. While the New Zealand passionfruit are purple, the Hawaiian variety are yellow. You can find all the several varieties of passionfruit here.

Selection and Preparation

When shopping for passionfruit, choose large, heavy, firm fruit. Ripe, passionfruit have a very dark purple color. Pale colored fruits are not ripe, but can be ripened at room temperature after they have been purchased. Once ripe, store the fruit in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Look for fruit that are dimpled and are wrinkly in appearance. Make sure though that the fruit are not too dimpled – this is a sign that the fruit has lost it’s moisture and should be avoided.

Passionfruit is generally eaten fresh but may also be cooked for use in sauces and fillings. To enjoy a passionfruit begin by cutting the fruit in half and scooping out the fleshy pulp with a spoon. Spoon the pulp over ice creams or other creamy desserts. The pulp makes delicious jams or jellies and the seeds add a unique crunchy texture.
To remove seeds: Strain in a sieve, or use cheesecloth, squeezing to extract the juice.

So, when I bought passionfruit for the mango and passionfruit tiramisu, I made sure I bought enough for a delicious creamy curd. I mean what could be more decadent than spreading a thick layer of this smooth, slightly crunchy and extremely powerful passionfruit curd on a buttery saffron brioche for breakfast?

Tropical Passionfruit Curd

Place all the ingredients, except the butter in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water or use a double boiler.

Whisk the mixture continuously until it begins to thicken – approx. 10 minutes. The mixture should be so thick that when a wooden spoon is inserted into the mixture you can leave a trace at the back of the spoon.

Once the mixture is thick remove from heat and stir in the cold butter until incorporated. Allow the curd to cool then transfer to sterilized jars. The passionfruit curd will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Verdict

Incredible burst of tropical flavors, this fruit curd is explosive and adds the perfect touch of sun every morning. I love the thick texture and that slight crunch from the seeds. Soeren spoons the stuff straight from the jar and Tom loves it on his vanilla ice-cream. I – well I’ll show you how I like this passionfruit curd best next week. ;o)

this is bookmarked. i thought i wanted to eat passionfruit curd the other day but i wasn't sure of a recipe. this looks too good. need to make it. although, i'll have to stop being lazy and sterilize jars too. :) x

Oh, I love passion fruit; but, it is so hard to find out in the bay area. Once in a great while I come across it and a cost - yes, I stock up & savor every last drop! I actually made a passion fruit curd over Easter but had to use frozen puree, it was delicious; but, I like the look of yours w/the beautiful seeds. Yes, Meeta, I am jealous, you have passion fruit in Germany!

Lemon Curd was always my best seller at the food market until I attempted some passion fruit curd a couple of years ago. WOW! It is fabulous and it sells incredibly well when I am able to find some passion fruit. I love that stuff. My hubby loves his passion fruit pulp best just stirred through a glass of sweetened full fat cows milk. It makes the milk go slightly curdled xx

Wow, that looks 'uber-delicious' :) Very yummy, indeed. It has to make some really gorgeous combo along with the brioche. Nice photography, also. I wish I had it here for mz today's breakfast.Congrats!

What a great post about passion fruit. I've recently moved to Brazil with my husband and love, love, love passion fruit. It's so interesting to see how different they look here, from the purple ones you've pictured! I'm happy to hear about the health benefits and looking forward to trying the curd. Thanks!

How funny! I just made passionfruit curd last week! I used a Nigella Lawson recipe and it was fantastic on buttermilk biscuits, and also on a mango muffin - truly yummy. Yours looks so beautiful, I love your little jar!

thank you so much everyone for all your comments and feedback. what surprised me here the most was many have not tried fresh passionfruit and a few have not made curds - it was interesting to read. if you get the chance please do get a few fresh fruit and eat it out of the shell - you'll be addicted. then make some curd at home and you'll see how the taste buds do a dance of joy!

Ok, I join the club "never made fruit curd"... and I actually ate passionfruit only once or twice! I heard about fruit curd last week for the first time. I wanted to make a citrus one for my macarons, which unfortunately didn't turn out well, so there was no need for any filling! :(After reading about your passionfruit curd, I have to try to make any curd anyway, and eat it with ice cream or just on its own! :)

Meeta that looks irresistible with the pound cake. I rarely eat lemon curd and have never had passionfruit curd but luckily we have an abundance of passionfruit in Australia - I am definitely trying this one.

I absolutely love fruit curds and love making them. So smooth and luscious and sexy. But I have never cooked with much less eaten passionfruit but I see them at the market all the time. Think now's the time to dive in and try this wonderful recipe! And thanks for the tips!

Wah, Meeta, it looks and sounds so tempting, beautiful stylish photos as always! I also love passion fruit and now I can't help but should definitely try your recipe!Your blog is full of positive energy and inspiration, thank you so much!Warmest wishes,Zara

I love this recipe. So simple - and you do not temper the eggs, I thought that's a must. I want to try this. I don't have passion fruit, but I might use melon instead :-).Beautiful site and beautiful photos!

OMG! I have just made the Passionfruit curd... Not sure whether I will be able to wait until it cools down and definitely not sure that I will need my small jars to keep it! Thanks for this awesome recipe!

oooo, I never even thought of making curd (not that I ever made any myself mind you...) other then lemon but this just looks soo good! I am in love with lemon curd and have promised myself to make it very very soon, but now I am tempted to make this as well...

Oooh, I never make fruit curds for some reason - and now I can't for the life of me think why. i imagine the tart flavour of granadilla would make a fnatastic curd. Your fresh granadillas are GORGEOUS - they are always a little, erm, antique and wrinkly by the time they get to London...

Where can I buy this fruit? I live in NYC USA and never seen it. I can find the frozen thing but it would never be the same. Is there a place I can send for it, I don't care how much it cost this fruit is delicious.

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer living in the cuturally rich city of Weimar, Germany with my husband and our son, where I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...